Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know

• ... that critics were so harsh on Hans Christian Andersen's (pictured) early installments of Fairy Tales Told for Children that he delayed publishing The Little Mermaid and The Emperor's New Clothes by a full year?
• ... that the music of video game music composer Masaharu Iwata has been described as among the most well-recognized in the tactical role-playing game genre?
• ... that "The Iron Shroud" by William Mudford influenced Edgar Allan Poe's writing of the "Pit and the Pendulum"?
• ... that the 1972 science fiction horror film Night of the Lepus was panned by critics for its failure to make killer bunnies seem scary?
• ... that Sword of Aragon, a video game published in 1989, frustrated players with its copy protection that prompted them with inaccurate information?

• ... the Halloween genes include spook, spookier, phantom, disembodied, shadow and shade?

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Usage

These "Did you know..." subpages are randomly displayed using {{Random subpage}}.

1. Add a new DYK to the next available subpage under the appropriate category.
2. Update the "Random subpage" start and end values in the category's respective section above to include the new DYK.

DYK list

DYK with images

Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1

• ... that New Fairy Tales (illustration pictured) of 1844 is the most autobiographical of Hans Christian Andersen's several fairy tale collections?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2

• ... that in The Last Theorem, science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke (pictured) moved the equator north to Sri Lanka to allow for the building of a space elevator there?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/3

• ... that critics were so harsh on Hans Christian Andersen's (pictured) early installments of Fairy Tales Told for Children that he delayed publishing The Little Mermaid and The Emperor's New Clothes by a full year?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/4

• ... that Owl Island (pictured) in Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin is an accurate depiction of the Island of St. Herbert in the center of Derwent Water?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/5

• ... that Annette Nelson's performance (pictured) as The Mountain Sylph in Washington, D.C. in 1837 was highly appreciated by a group of Native American chiefs?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/6

• ... that some audience members fainted while others fled the 350-seat Grand Ducal Theatre in Stuttgart at the first appearance of the Furies in Jean-Georges Noverre's (pictured) 1763 ballet Jason et Médée?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/7

• ... that Nancy Cartwright (pictured) received a Primetime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Voice-Over Performance category for her performance as Bart Simpson in the Simpsons episode "Separate Vocations"?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/8

• ... that Marie Taglioni (pictured) made her 1830 London debut in Flore et Zéphire, the ballet credited with the introduction of dancing sur les pointes?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/9

• ... that Thrill the World is an international event in which participants (example pictured) simultaneously emulate the zombie dance from the music video of Michael Jackson's "Thriller"?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/10

• ... that Piero di Cosimo's painting The Death of Procris (pictured) may contain allusions to the practice of alchemy?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/11

• ... that the Holy Grail tapestries (detail pictured), depicting scenes from the legend of King Arthur, were designed by Edward Burne-Jones, William Morris, and John Henry Dearle?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/12

• ... that Polydorus (pictured being killed by Polymestor), son of Priam, features in Euripides' Greek tragedy Hecuba, Virgil's Roman epic The Aeneid and Homer's Iliad?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/13

• ... that the demon Kabandha (pictured), from the Hindu epic Ramayana, is described to be as big as a mountain, headless, and with arms eight miles long?

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Biographies

Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1001

• ... that video game music composer Garry Schyman prefers the video game industry to television and film in part because the people in it are "nice people whose egos were in check"?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1002

• ... that Tony Award-winning producer Richard Barr took part in the infamous radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1003

• ... that the UK video game magazine Edge described Amy Hennig as one of the 100 most influential women in the video game industry?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1004

• ... that Carrie Jones is a multi-award winning American author of young-adult fiction?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1005

• ... that the music of video game music composer Masaharu Iwata has been described as among the most well-recognized in the tactical role-playing game genre?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1006

• ... that child actor Joey Pollari was 15 years old when he appeared in the Disney XD film, Skyrunners?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1007

• ... that the Phineas and Ferb character Perry the Platypus was made a platypus because of the animal's striking appearance?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1008

• ... that cartoonist Edward Barker and writer Mick Farren published Nasty Tales, the first comic book to face charges for obscenity in Great Britain?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1009

• ... that before beginning a career in animation, Jeff "Swampy" Marsh worked as a vice president of sales and marketing for a computer company, where he "freaked out" and decided to quit?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1010

• ... that Hiroki Kikuta, despite composing music for over 20 video games and independent albums, has never received any formal music education?

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Books (including comic books)

Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1501

• ... that Andy Hartzell created his graphic novel Fox Bunny Funny without a single line of text?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1502

• ... that "The Iron Shroud" by William Mudford influenced Edgar Allan Poe's writing of the "Pit and the Pendulum"?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1503

• ... that the title story from The Book of Sand by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges describes a book with an infinite number of pages?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1504

• ... that The Wolves in the Walls, a book by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean that went on to become an off-Broadway musical, was inspired by a nightmare had by Gaiman's youngest daughter?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1505

• ... that Lemony Snicket, author of the bestselling A Series of Unfortunate Events, is releasing a new series in 2012 that will involve elements of his previous series, including the Great Unknown?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1506

• ... that the only Rod Serling short story in the 2009 Twilight Zone anthology was called the least Twilight Zone-like story in the collection?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1507

• ... that fairy-like insect people feature in the classic Czech children's book Broučci by Jan Karafiát?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1508

• ... that according to a BBC Radio 2 poll, The Gruffalo, which was adapted into a film in 2009, is the UK's favourite bedtime story?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1509

• ... that the title story from Shakespeare's Memory by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges is about a man who is given the memory of William Shakespeare?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1510

• ... that David Colbert was given permission to publish the book The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter only if there was a note on the cover stating that it had not been approved by J.K. Rowling?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1511

• ... that Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy co-created a comic book series inspired by the lyrics of his band's music?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1512

• ... that, inspired by The Blair Witch Project, Stephen King had the idea of presenting The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red as real by having the fictional "Dr. Joyce Reardon" edit it?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1513

• ... that The Haunted House written by Charles Dickens in 1859 is the inspiration for an attraction which can be seen at Chatham in Kent?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1514

• ... that in the children's book I Like Pumpkins, the narrator sees Frankenstein and his pet alligator buying pumpkins?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1515

• ... that Life on Another Planet, a graphic novel by Will Eisner, has been called by James Morrow, "a kind of science fictional Bonfire of the Vanities"?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/1516

• ... that the horror short story compilation novel Gothic! Ten Original Dark Tales won five major awards and was nominated for another?

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Film and television

Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2001

• ... that Andrew Lloyd Webber is concerned about casting a dog in the forthcoming BBC television series Over the Rainbow?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2002

• ... that Whitstable Museum and Gallery holds a permanent display dedicated to the life of Hammer Films actor Peter Cushing, who lived in Whitstable, South East England?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2003

• ... that the 1972 science fiction horror film Night of the Lepus was panned by critics for its failure to make killer bunnies seem scary?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2004

• ... that Terminator: TSCC's "Self Made Man" references franchise star Arnold Schwarzenegger with its Skynet plot to assassinate the Governor of California on New Year's Eve 2010?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2005

• ... that Kevin Hopps, writer of the Spectacular Spider-Man episode "The Uncertainty Principle", kept in mind previous battle sequences in the series in order to "up the stakes"?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2006

• ... that while voicing the character of Doctor Octopus in the The Spectacular Spider-Man episode "Reaction", Peter MacNicol chose to base it on late actor Laird Cregar?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2007

• ... that the 1931 film Alice in Wonderland was the first talking picture to be based on Lewis Carroll's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2008

• ... that the actress cast as Amy Pond, a companion character to the Eleventh Doctor on Doctor Who, had previously portrayed a soothsayer on an episode involving the Tenth Doctor?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2009

• ... that the 1901 film Scrooge, or, Marley's Ghost is the oldest surviving film adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1843 novel A Christmas Carol?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2010

• ... that the 1913 film Scrooge was the first time that British actor Seymour Hicks played the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in film, the other being in 1935?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2011

• ... that when actress Vanessa Marshall learned that she would be playing the character Mary-Jane Watson in the Spectacular Spider-Man episode "Catalysts", she dropped to her knees and began hyperventilating?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2012

• ... that the Saw series has grossed more than one billion dollars, making it one of the highest-grossing fright franchises ever?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2013

• ... that Alice is a science fiction reimagining of the classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2014

• ... that in 1988, Bill Cosby became the first recipient to accept a Golden Raspberry Award, for his work on the film Leonard Part 6?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2015

• ... that Clancy Brown was cast to play the Rhino in the The Spectacular Spider-Man episode "The Invisible Hand" because he could "turn on a dime between dangerous and comedic characterizations"?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2016

• ... that in 1950s giant monster films, atomic energy aroused Godzilla, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and Them!?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2017

• ... that the release of The Vampire's Assistant, starring Chris Massoglia, was moved so it could "capitalize on the Halloween season"?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2018

• ... that Zac Efron turned down the lead in Footloose to star in the romantic ghost story The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2019

• ... that in the 30 Rock episode "Into the Crevasse", Jack Donaghy redesigns a microwave oven, turning it into the Pontiac Aztek?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2020

• ... that the 2009 science fiction television series Twin Spica was produced in cooperation with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2021

• ... that the Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends episode "Store Wars" was released on DVD with an audio commentary in which the characters discuss events not seen in the episode?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2022

• ... that after Larry Niven's first attempt at writing a Star Trek: The Animated Series screenplay was rejected, Gene Roddenberry suggested he adapt one of his short stories which became "The Slaver Weapon"?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2023

• ... that in the documentary film Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy all eight Elm Street films are explored through interviews with over 100 members of the production team and cast?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2024

• ... that the Independent Film Channel's list of the 25 scariest moments in non-horror movies includes Large Marge, a role played by Alice Nunn in Tim Burton's film Pee-wee's Big Adventure?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2025

• ... that, among the films he directed, Liliom was one of Fritz Lang's favourites?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2026

• ... that Doctor Who executive producer Steven Moffat warned actor Matt Smith not to visit fan forums such as Gallifrey Base?

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Games

Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2501

• ... that the animations of characters in 1988 video game Barbarian II: The Dungeon of Drax were based on 19th-century photographer Eadweard Muybridge's motion captures of humans?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2502

• ... that the video game Gyromancer was originally "half-jokingly" proposed by PopCap Games co-founder Jason Kapalka to Square Enix with the name Final Fantasy Bejeweled?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2503

• ... that the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade video game Toy Soldiers will feature World War I toy miniatures battling on a model diorama in a child's bedroom?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2504

• ... that the role-playing video game series Xenosaga, the spiritual successor to the Xenogears video game, initially used the same composer, Yasunori Mitsuda, to write the music of the series?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2505

• ... that the Star Wars video game Flight of the Falcon lets the player pilot not only the Millennium Falcon, but also an X-wing, a landspeeder, and a speeder bike?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2506

• ... that the video game Obi-Wan's Adventures chronicles the events of the film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, but from the perspective of Obi-Wan Kenobi?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2507

• ... that while recording swordfights for Barbarian, the video game's designer Steve Brown nearly took his eye out with the Web of Death, a move copied from the film Conan the Destroyer?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2508

• ... that Sword of Aragon, a video game published in 1989, frustrated players with its copy protection that prompted them with inaccurate information?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2509

• ... that the video game Metal Walker combines elements of the Pokémon series with billiards?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/2510

• ... that the Super Mario Bros. theme has been listed as one of the top ten most downloaded ringtones in the United States for 226 consecutive weeks?

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Other

Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/501

• ... that the War of Internet Addiction is a video made by World of Warcraft players to protest internet censorship in the People's Republic of China?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/502

• ... that 21st Century Slave is a concept album with a narrative inspired by William Gibson's series of Cyberpunk novels?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/503

• ... that the 101 Dalmatians Musical has several performers working on 15" stilts to simulate a canine perspective, and uses 15 real Dalmatian dogs for several scenes?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/504

• ... that the Leading Edge, a student-run semi-professional science fiction and fantasy magazine, had a Chesley Award-winning cover in 2002 by James C. Christensen?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/505

• ... that the 1901 musical play Bluebell in Fairyland was the inspiration for Peter Pan?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/506

• ... that since 1998 All Nippon Airways has operated Pokémon Jets?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/507

• ... that the Solway Firth Spaceman is a photograph taken in 1964 in Cumbria, England, which appears to show a background figure in a white space suit?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/508

• ... the Halloween genes include spook, spookier, phantom, disembodied, shadow and shade?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/509

• ... that the fictional Caribbean island of "San Sebastian" appears in RKO's The Ghost Ship, I Walked With a Zombie, and Zombies on Broadway?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/510

• ... that Cutting Edge haunted house was recently awarded the Guinness World Record for the largest haunted house attraction?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/511

• ... that the first Canadian musical staged at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival really sucked?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/512

• ... that the first fire-breathing dragon in English literature occurs in the Old English epic poem Beowulf?

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Portal:Speculative fiction/Did you know/513

• ... that a photograph of Wem Town Hall in Shropshire, England, taken during a fire, appears to show the ghost of a young girl standing amidst the flames?

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Nominations

These "Did you know..." subpages are randomly displayed using {{Random portal component}}.

1. DYKs at this list must have successfully already appeared at Template:Did you know.
2. Add a new DYK to the next available subpage under the appropriate category.
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